Liopleurodon
Liopleurodon was a pliosaur and perhaps the mightiest aquatic predator of all time. Its long body would have cruised silently through the shallow seas of the late Jurassic, propelled by its flapping flippers. Its size is a topic of considerable debate; the largest pliosaur specimens are not attributed to the Liopleurodon genus and are 18 m long. The longest confirmed Liopleurodon fossils are estimated to have grown up to 15 m (although some fossils still show that they could have grown to 25 m and weighed 150 tonnes). Description A massive sea predator with four flippers, they are the biggest, carnivorous reptiles ever. They are awe-inspiring sea monsters. Liopleurodon was a hunter. Its long jaws and rows of needle-sharp teeth would have made marine crocodiles, the giant fish Leedsichthys, ichthyosaurs and even other pliosaurs vulnerable to attack. )]] ''Liopleurodon's nose allowed it to smell underwater. This allowed Liopleurodon to smell its prey from some distance away. Despite needing to breath air, Liopleurodon spent its entire life at sea and was unable to leave the water. Consequently, it would have given birth to its young alive and may have visited shallower water to breed. They also have a really acute sense of smell. Young Liopleurodon live in shallow water. Their short neck helps them be more powerful and that’s when they can tear off chunks of flesh. They too can detect their prey’s distress from a distance. Liopleurodon ''have a directional sense of smell. Two separate chambers in their nose work in the same way as a pair of ears, pinpointing exactly where a smell is coming from. A sophisticated tracking device stirring the largest carnivorous jaws ever known. Each one of ''Liopleurodons four flippers is over three meters long, giving them enough power to guide their huge bulk effortlessly through the water. They can take one giant gulp of air then descend to the depths. There, they can hold their breath for over an hour. Liopleurodon are fiercely territorial about their hunting areas, and confrontations almost always end in violence. Size )]]The largest fossil specimens attributed to the ''Liopleurodon genus is of the order of 7 m (although some fossils show Liopleurodon could have reached larger sizes and maybe over 25 m and weighed 150 tonnes, given in the Walking with Dinosaurs series). Larger pliosaur fossil specimens have been discovered, but these have either been attributed to other species or are poorly preserved and difficult to interpret (though lately they are attritubed to Pliosaurus species). In the series ''Walking With Dinosaurs Pilot ''Liopleurodon ''appeared in the pilot stranded on a beach like at the end of ''Cruel Sea. ''Cruel Sea '')]]An old bull ''Liopleurodon was seen plucking an fishing Eustreptospondylus off some rocks and drowning it. It was later seen killing a mother Ophthalmosaurus in labour, killing the unborn pup in the process. The old bull and a female later fought over territory. The bull tore off one of the female's hind paddles and won the fight. After a storm, the bull was left stranded on a beach and died. His remains were eaten by a group of Eustreptospondylus. ''Sea Monsters An adult ''Liopleurodon was seen feeding off of a dead Leedsichthys before swimming off. Later, Nigel Marven later tested two different chemicals to see which was better at repelling attacking Liopleurodon. During the tests, two juvenile Liopleurodon attacked a dummy filled with squid. The first chemical did nothing whilst the second (putrizene) repelled the Liopleurodon. )]]During the night, Nigel found a pod of ''Liopleurodon feeding on the Leedsichthys carcass. One came too close and Nigel ejected putrizene from his diving suit and repelled it. The pod then swam off full. Trivia *''Liopleurodon'' is clearly shown to be the largest carnivore ever due to the fact that the 5 metre Eustreptospondylus was the same length as the Liopleurodon's head and a pliosaur's head is usually a fifth of it's body length. Gallery WWD1x3 Liopleurodon 2.jpg WWD1x3 Liopleurodon 56.jpg WWD1x3 Liopleurodon 68.jpg SM1x3 Liopleurodon 28.jpg SM1x3 Liopleurodon 55.jpg Category:Carnivores Category:Walking with Wikia Category:Walking with Dinosaurs Animals Category:Cruel Sea animals Category:Sea Monsters Animals Category:Sea Monsters Episode 1 animals Category:Sea Monsters Episode 2 animals Category:Sea Monsters Episode 3 animals Category:Mesozoic animals Category:Jurassic animals Category:Animals from Europe Category:Animals from Oxfordshire Category:Animals from the United Kingdom Category:Animals from France Category:Animals from Germany Category:Animals from Russia Category:Animals Category:Chordates